The Space Needle (League of Cosmic Justice Book 2)

by Sam Sea

  An hour later, Val finally set in an air-cab heading back to the police building.

  "Val?" Li’a voice came through his communicator. Just a day ago she would have never consider calling him anything other than ‘ECI Val’. Now, anything other than Val made no sense.

  "Yes?"

  "I think I have to give you some bad news…"

  "Wouldn't you like to do that, huh?”

  Li’a would not respond, and Val for a second thought if he should tell her about the assassination attempt that morning. In the end he just said. “So what's a bad news?"

  "I don’t think we solved this case… I don't think Madam Vilksy killed her ex-fiancé, I mean, I do not think she ordered him killed."

  "I agree with you. But, I am ten minutes away from the station... We'll talk about it when I get there."

  "Well, you have a surprise waiting for you here..."

  "Really, what is it?

  "You will see."

  The surprise was that the waiting room in the police station was cramped with over hundred people who were patiently waiting around, many obviously for a very long time.

  "They all seem ready to help, talk to you...never mind that more than ninety percent of them we didn’t even call to come here. They just do not want to be 'visited' by you, if you know what I mean. Most of them came here last night, and have spend a whole night in here, expecting you to come back.”

  “It seems like the latest fashion… Spend a night in the police waiting room…”

  Li’a smiled before she tried to explain herself. “I think that, after everything I heard, she had nothing to do with it. I think you need to hear it yourself.”

  “I have some information I need to go over first, and I’m still short of at least a cup of coffee, and then let’s go and talk to her.”

  Val went to the office on the fifty-fifth floor where the Captain, who still showed no sign of life, had his own private coffee machine. Val poured himself one, and walked over to the deck, stepping out.

  The wind was mild and warm blowing from the sea he could not see. The Capital City lay all around him. The sun cast its first timid rays which bounced across the glass covered buildings.

  The public transportation with golden-airborne buses occupied the line below. The private-vehicles traffic was moving below that. Above, only an occasional government flying jetter or diplomatic highborn sedan could be seen.

  Toward the east he looked see the space elevator, and in the distance toward the north were the shapes of the Three Mountains. Beyond them was the Emperor’s Residency.

  He looked at it like he may be seeing it for the very last time. He called this place a home for a very long time. In another few days, he knew he was leaving, maybe forever.

  He went through the rest of the files that Timor forwarded him, the ones he could not get over during the cab ride.

  Before his cup was all empty, he walked back to Li’a and they walked together to a holding cell two floors down.

  "Val, please listen to me! I didn't... Please listen to me-" She screamed in half-wasted voice as soon as she saw him. Her make-up was all over her tired face, and the hair, which a day ago looked like the work of an art, now seemed to be nothing more than the bird’s nest. Her eyes were red from crying. She didn't seem to have taken the spending night in the jail too good. Val almost felt sorry for her.

  "Actually, that is why I came here for... to listen to you. So what do you have to say?" He stood in front of her.

  "No, no I do not need a lawyer... I…” she started to talk looking behind Val. The door behind was still opened and a tall, good-looking young man walked in next to an officer who seemed rather nervous.

  “I just want you to listen to me," she said as she looked back to Val.

  “You do not need to say anything! Don't say anything at all! This is outrages!” The young man walked and talked like the whole place belonged to him and him alone.

  “Oh well, isn't that Mar Four, the most famous lawyer of the entire Capital.” Li’a said next to Val. Val was not sure he ever met him. Being an ECI, he was really in no business of ever meeting many lawyers. Most of them were too smart to break the law, and not powerful enough to mingle with his investigations.

  “ECI Val... I assume… I didn't know you were involved.”

  “Of course you did. Which implies that you are a liar. You were just hoping you can get here before I do, I bet.”

  The lawyer shook his head. “You have no right to..."

  Val moved to stand in front of him, and looked at him hard.

  "Can I see your badge?” The lawyer tried to be tough. “You know you have to-"

  "Get out." Val said calmly. “Want to see my badge? I’ll show you a badge when I judge you, prick.” Val was commenting more to himself rather than talking out loud, but words were still very audible to everyone. If water could had condensed on them, it would had turn to ice.

  "Go!” Madam Vilksy yelled behind him. “I have nothing to hide. I want to speak to Mr. Val! Why did you come here in the first place? Don't you know you cannot help me?"

  "Yes, but your family-"

  "Just go, I need to speak to Mr. Val and make him understand. Don’t you see? You cannot help me!"

  Mar Four was confused. His eyes searched where to hide, but found only cold stare from Val. “Okay, if that is what you want… I will still be-“

  “Shut the door,” Val told the officer before the lawyer could say his exit line.

  "Would you like to have a glass of water?" Val turned to Madam Vilksy and asked semi-politely.

  "Yes, please."

  But she didn’t wait for an officer to bring her glass of water to start talking.

  "You have to believe me... I had nothing to do with his killing. I loved him! I adored him! I miss him."

  "You miss him? So why did you break up your engagement with him?"

  Suddenly, Madam Vilksy seemed completely crushed, unable to continue standing up by herself any more. She leaned forward and the invisible fence gave her a jolt. Val told her to sit down.

  "It was about the money... We fought about the money, he wanted me to finance this archeological trip of his, and I wouldn’t. Well at first I was going to, but then my family talked to me, they convinced me it was just crazy, so I had to change my mind…

  We had a fight, and I told him that if it was such a good idea, why wasn't his family ready to finance him. And he told me that all I cared for was the money, and that he can't bear to spend any more time with a person like that..."

  "So we broke off our engagement..."

  "Was it your idea or his?"

  "Well..." she started to cry again "He said that I am only good for the money that I have, and if I was not going to give him money, then I am not good for him at all,

  And then I told him 'fine, our wedding is off....so I guess I did, but I didn't kill him. I would never, ever, harm him…”

  "Yeah? So why would you order someone to steal his paintings? That was not supposed to harm him… It was just to get back at him?"

  "No, those… Those were my paintings... I gave them to him."

  "Well legally, if you gave them to him, then they were his. But I guess you knew that, probably why your lawyer told you that you had no legal case here. Was he the one that organized the heist?"

  “No, no… He had nothing to do with that.”

  “Okay…"

  “I gave them to him because I knew how much he liked them, but they, they were really not mine..."

  "What do you mean, they were not yours? Your parents?"

  "Yes, and no. They had those paintings for a very long time, and I thought, why not, just give them to him, and we'll get married and then it really would not matter anymore... I did not steal them. My parents did give my blessings for giving him those paintings once we announced our engagement. My own father said that it was a good idea.

  “But then, we broke off, and my parents asked about the paintings, and said they nee
ded them back, and I had to get them any way I could. They suddenly wanted those paintings really bad. I do not know why. For more than one hundred years, they were just placed inside the storage without anyone even casting a look at them."

  "There were three paintings on the wall that were taken."

  "The third one was his. I was not going to take that one from him. That is why I gave him the other two, they form a set... And I knew he would like to have them all.

  “Actually I was not even going to give those paintings back to my parents... I just thought that he... He would understand that he needs me, that he...that I...can give him so much..."

  There was nothing but grief and regret in her words and eyes.

  “Do you have any idea who killed him?”

  “No, no I do not. But I do want you to catch him, whoever it was.”

  “You were very close to him… You would know of people that he would have had problems with, people he argued with?

  “No, not anyone who would want to kill him.”

  “You understand that he died in a professional hit. Whoever ordered it had interest in seeing him dead. That means they knew each other, maybe shared the same interests, and you being next to him, had to meet him… You probably even shook the killer’s hand.

  "No… No, I don’t know… I still don’t believe he is dead. Are you sure he is dead?" She cried some more, put her face into her hands. "I will never see him again?"

  “When did you hear about his death?” Val asked.

  “At the station, when you arrested me… I really didn’t know.” She said with tears and cries twisting her words.

  “You know, it is very strange: you did number of bad things and might face things worse than jail for the rest of your life, and you cry because you will not see him anymore? I think you better start worrying about yourself now.”

  “I don't care... I don't care anymore... Don't care for anything anymore… Not for eternity, not for anything.”

  Val didn't know what to say to that. He understood more of that than he was willing to admit.

  “When you calm down, I want you to think, think about what I said… I am sure you knew the killer. And the best thing you can do for your ex-fiancé, is to help remember who might have killed him…”

  “Yes, but that will not bring him back.”

  Val walked away from the holding cell thinking how little help he will get from her. He realized that he even felt a trail of pity for her.

  "You were right." He told Li’a who followed him.

  “Do we release her then?”

  “Of course not... Let her be in there. I sentenced her for stealing paintings. She still broke the law. But it is all so very sad… Those people - They are so rich, and think of themselves all omnipotent. They can't understand they are not above the code. They play these games with each other, trying to produce envy in others, trying to make themselves feel all important. They do not understand that they are no better than ordinary stiffs working their whole life so they can buy themselves a new body. They can't play these kinds of games without getting hurt. If I let her go, well, that is like saying that the ignorance is okay. But it is not. She broke the law. She pays.”

  “But, you know, there is going to be a lot of problems…”

  "Problems? I judged her, and she is going to do the time, and there is not a single thing anyone can do about it...People forget that. Well, only the emperor himself can issue a pardon. And somehow, he hasn't been doing much of that in the recent years."

  The answer did not seem to appease her.

  “To tell you the truth, I kind doubted she hired the assassin to do it. I think of her more of being stupid than evil. So, we still have a problem…still have a murder to solve, and less than a day to do it.

  “Why, what is to happen in a day?” Li’a asked not knowing of Val’s departure plans.

  “Never mind. I’ll explain later. I guess we better go and talk to more people. Go back to the start, you know...”

  "Well, I am not going to debate with you about sentencing her, and how wrong and right that is, but…” Li’a looked at him lazily. “You didn't have to kill those two guards. I know you had a right to do it, every right to do it. But you didn't have to. When you shot the first one, the other one, you know, he didn't even know what had happened... If he did, he would have pissed his pants. You didn’t have to bring him down.”

  Val took a deep breath. He knew she was right. He had to accept it.

  Some things you do, you cannot undo, the voice of his old mentor echoed in his head, that’s why you need to control your anger.

  “You know, there is this very old saying, I do not even know where it comes from or who was the one that wrote it down…” He stopped and pulled Li’a by her sleeve. “I heard it a very long time ago. It says 'those that space gods want to destroy, they just make him angry first.'"

  Li’a met his stare, not knowing what to make of him at that moment.

  "I had... next to eternity to master my anger, and it seems, I failed that task miserably yesterday. I was wrong. I acted in anger, and I was wrong."

  "You know, my father thought very highly of you..."

  Val gave her a long stare, looking at her face lines, thick dark eyebrow. "Do you know, every time I look at you I see him?"

  She didn’t take her eyes off the floor for a very long moment.

  "So, will you ever find out who killed him?" she said, staring at him straight suddenly.

  "Before I die, I will."

  "Maybe... maybe... I can accept that lunch you promised me today." Li’a let a small smile emerge before she pulled it away. “So, who do you want to see next?”

  Chapter 16 – The Professor

  “Professor Worstin, do you know why I called you here again?" Val’s face had turned into a dark frown as if each word he pronounced were causing him pain.

  "No, I don't... It seems there are over 20 other people here, some of them mentioned that you have not even talked to them at all, so..."

  Val chuckled suddenly. "You completely misunderstood what this is all about. The purpose of the interviews is to find the guilty party - it's not chatting and meeting new people."

  "So how can I help?"

  Li'a moved next to him and pressed the key on the communicator. The air above them came to life showing a three dimensional video of an office with its shelves covered in antiquities and walls decorated with diplomas and awards. It was dean's office, and two men talking were dean and him.

  "How did you get this video?" The professor became even more upset and agitated.

  "Dean's assistant was kind enough to pass this over to us... Do you remember this...meeting, Dr., happened about twenty days ago?

  "Sure I do, it was one of many that I had with the dean. Nothing spectacular about it."

  "No... I stand to differ. Let's move the video few minutes forward," Val said.

  "Were you aware that the dean had a habit of recording many of his activities?" Li'a

  "No, I was not... But he was very eccentric. And such unsocial behavior does not surprise me at all."

  "Okay, here we are... This here is especially interesting... Look…” Val pointed his finger at the part of the video. “Right here…”

  The video shows the violent confrontation between two men.

  "I know what it looks like... Except I did not kill the dean…”

  "According to almost everyone we talked to, you stand to gain quite a bit since the dean is not around anymore... His job, grants you will not have to share with him, more freedom to do what you want."

  "I know what it seems like, but I am not the one who killed him..."

  "We never said you were the one that did..." Val said without taking his eyes of him. "But, could it be that you paid someone to do it in your place?"

  "No! I am not that kind of a being. I do not like violence... Look at my records, and you will know."

  "I have, professor, that is exactly what I am doing righ
t now... You are a war veteran...”

  "Yes, I am, I am a war veteran. And as such, I've seen too much of blood spilling, so much that I never want to see it ever again.”

  “You were a sniper in the war, and a very good one if I am to believe the military records.”

  “Yes, I was a sniper and I killed people and robots and everything in between that moved and crawled. But I had enough of that… If you were in the war, you would understand what I mean.”

  Val let in a full lungs of air in and out as he weighed his words.

  "Your finances... " he said in the end.

  "They may not be great, but I live within my means, do not over or under spend, and you can clearly see that my net worth has been slowly appreciating over time. I live within my means and I do not work for the money although it’s nice that I have accumulated enough to be able to help my daughter out, as you can see without a doubt… She really didn’t need those million credits that I gave her. But I have enough and I wanted to, and the lust to accumulate wealth, well, that is just not me."

  Val shook his head. No way of arguing over numbers, The man is obviously smart, seems dedicated to details and planning things out well ahead of time. Do not see anything impulsive in his spending patterns. So if he is the one who ordered the killing, he would have done it way ahead of a time, certainly not on an impulse. that just does not suite him.

  “If I am to believe your words, you seem like a man without no sin, without any faults whatsoever, doesn’t care about the prestige, power, money… ”

  "I do care about the money. That is not true. I am not rich and I have not spend centuries trying to accumulate wealth, but I have enough. Besides my argument with the dean was not over my fight to gain his seat, but to get him to do the right thing...

  “The right thing? What right thing?”

  “He just let things go. He completely lost interest in his job and our department. That was not like the man I met twenty years ago.

  You understand that he was, back then, very dedicated to the university and to our profession. We spent days on end without sleeping completing projects and doing research that put our department on the forefront of all universities. I still like to think that the history department at our school is the best throughout the empire.